Dragon Quest
by Wolfheart-the-Kind
Summary: What if Cynder wasn't the only black dragon? Caligo, a young dragoness of the lost shadow element, is thrust into the world of trolls, regenerative crystals, and an evil dragon overlord. She and her best friend must travel the world, meeting the famous Spyro and Cynder couple on their journey to defeat the evil Lord Malefor and save the world.
1. Introduction: Under Attack

**A/N:** hi guys! I'm back from my writing break for a second just to drop this little story off and try to sate your insatiable appetite. Not sure what I'll do with this, but I plan to make it a sort of short story/small book (5-15 small chapters, much shorter than Angel of Darkness). Review, and I may speed it up for you guys (it may be 1-2 weeks between chapters, depending on homework, projects, and ideas, but can shorten to around 5 days to a week. Maybe. Probably not, though.)

So I leave you with this little tidbit. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Legend of Spyro series (mostly centered around Dawn of the Dragons), though I wish I did D:

OH

Also, do you guys notice how much I like to create my own characters instead of focusing the stories on the real main characters? Yeah, I always feel like I'm going to butcher them or something… plus I really love making and defining my own characters. It brings out my creativity and challenges my brain to make stuff up.

BACK TO DA STOREH.

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><p>Caligo sniffed the air. <em>Grublins<em>, she thought in disgust. The insect-like creatures were buzzing towards the forest, clubs swinging in excitement. What did they want now?

The Grublins have been visiting her village each month, sometimes to demand payment for protection from Lord Malefor, sometimes just to torment the citizens. Caligo knew it was all her fault. She was their target.

Caligo was the only black dragon her village knew existed, and they were well informed on their trips into Warfang. In effect, the Grublins, as well as other common forest monsters, found it their duty to push her and her village around. She hated them.

A dark green dragon paced up behind Caligo. "Are they back?" he grunted.

She nodded. "Those dumb stick-swinging bugs will be here in less than 10 minutes. You should go tell the elders, Fel"

Fel shook his head. "Nah, Cal. We'll go together."

Caligo stared at him, her violet eyes boring into his. "Fel…"

His gray eyes stared right back with stubbornness evident. "All or nothing," he said firmly.

She sighed. "Fine," she finally said. "You tell Lapis and Fax. I'll tell Ardor and Crystallos."

He rolled his eyes in mock sourness. "Oh sure, give me the hard ones."

Caligo lightly slapped him with her scimitar-like bladed tail. "One's your mother and the other's a soft-heart once you get to know him."

"Still…"

"You're impossible!"

Fel gave her a sharp-toothed grin before trotting off to the Elders' Dwelling. Caligo followed with a roll of her eyes.

Once they reached the Dwelling, Caligo stared up at it in amazement. It was a massive cave, a thick curtain of lichen and moss covering the entrance to keep the cold out. A few good-sized holes let in sunlight and the moon's glow, though usually covered when rain's on the way. Outside the cave was a sign that read, "ELDERS' DWELLING – ENTER AT OWN RISK." It was a long-running joke between the eldest—Fax—and some of the youngest dragons. One small lightning dragon and his friends had stumbled into the cave while exploring the village, upsetting the elder and causing him to blow heavy smoke into the youngster's face. He ended up having to see the healer, but he would always return with some food he caught to present to Fax. They would share stories of new and old adventures long into the day until his mother would call him back. They were real friends.

Caligo hoped that he was in a friendly mood today.

Once the two dragons nosed aside the curtain and bounded inside, three of the four elders jolted to attention. They must have sensed their fear and awoke.

Caligo spoke first. "Ardor, where's Crystallos?"

The gentle fire dragon blinked his warm yellow eyes. "I believe she went out to see the healer. Her joints have been aching since winter is fast approaching, and she can barely stretch her wings."

Fel cursed; Fax whacked the green dragon with his heavily spiked tail. "Watch your mouth, impudent dragonling," Fax growled. Fel quickly apologized, shooting a glare at Caligo, who shrugged.

"Mother, Fax, I need to speak with you," Fel said, glancing at the delicate gray-brown dragoness in the dark corner of the cave. She nodded and pulled herself over to the grumpy dragon. Fel tried not to gawk at Fax's snaggletooth as he began to explain the situation.

Caligo asked Ardor to follow her to the healer. He complied stiffly. Obviously, Crystallos wasn't the only one affected by the coming cold. She tried to hurry him as fast as possible without hurting him, and they reached the healer's home in 2 minutes. Turning to Ardor, she quickly declared, "The Grublins are returning. They will be here in minutes. They may be traveling with more, including Wyverns and possibly some Orcs."

Ardor set his jaw, glancing to the heavens gravely. "Oh dear. Has it been half a year already?" He turned his gaze over to the horizon, where a cloud of Chief Grublins was becoming visible. "We must round up the warriors and hide the mothers and young ones," he said after a moment of silence. "Including you and Fel."

Caligo made a noise of protest. "But Ardor, I want to fight those vile creatures!"

He glared at her with an uncharacteristic amount of anger. "No, Caligo. You must stay out of sight. Protect the others."

She dropped her gaze and watched a ladybug crawl in the grass at her claws. Ardor sighed. "I'm sorry, Caligo. When you're older, you may go into battle with the warriors," he promised, "but until then you must stay in the village."

"Ok…" she mumbled, turning to the large hill beside her.

A stone frame held open a tall rectangular hole dug deeply into the hillside. Caligo raced into the long corridor, lit only by the soft smoldering blaze of fiery torches, until she reached the main room where patients would wait for the healer to help them. A curtain of moss separated the room with the healing chamber beyond.

The young black dragon heard the murmur of voices in the healing chamber. One was the distinct musical voice of the healer. The other was the high creaky tinkling of Crystallos. She took a breath, hating to be rude, and peeked inside.

"Caligo?" the medella dragoness, Sana, said with surprise. Her pure milk white body glowed with a comforting light in the semidark. The blood red of her eyes and wing membranes seemed to blend in with the shadows, and her single black horn was invisible. "I'm with a patient, dear. Can it wait?" Sana asked quietly.

Caligo dipped her head in respect. "I'm sorry, Sana Medella," she said, using the proper title of the healer. "I must speak with Crystallos. It's urgent."

Sana twitched her wings in thought. "Alright. But only for a minute. I may have a possible treatment for her aches."

Caligo nodded, guiding the old ice dragoness to the waiting room. Once inside, she told Crystallos what was happening. When she finished, Crystallos widened her clear sky blue eyes. "What?" she exclaimed in agitation. The pale elder lowered her head, pondering her next actions. "Did you warn the others?"

"I spoke to Ardor. Fel is informing Fax and Lapis."

"Good," Crystallos said with a tiny encouraging smile. "I assume you want to join the fight against the creatures, correct?"

Caligo nodded shyly.

"And that you were told not to?" she added.

Another nod.

"Do I have to worry about you charging bravely into battle with that troublemaker Fel?"

"No, ma'am."

Crystallos's eyes crinkled in amusement. "Good. Now, you must help the others find the warriors and inform them of the predicament."

"Yes, Crystallos." Caligo dipped her head, turned to the tunnel, and ran all the way out.


	2. Introduction: Family

**A/N: **Omg guys, I am so, so, _so__ sorry_ for the _huge_ delay in uploading this chapter! I actually wrote chapter two and some of chapter three before my expensive Lexar flash drive I've had only since Christmas crashed, and I lost most of my files on it! So, not only did I lose much of my valued pictures and stories, I had to completely rewrite this chapter. I would've written it sooner, but I got lazy and some other stuff got in the way...

Again, _I'm so sorry for this_. For now, enjoy this little tidbit I whipped up for you as I try to fix the third chapter and do what I've been waiting to do.

**Disclaimer:** I (sadly) do not own the Legend of Spyro or anything associated with it

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><p>The small black dragoness took a deep breath before stepping into the weak winter light streaming delicately into the clearing. A large blue-green dragoness lifted her head sleepily as the smaller one approached. Her jaws parted in a yawn, showing a mouthful of razor-sharp white teeth. "Hello there, dear one," she murmured, unfurling her enormous leathery wings in a stretch. "How are you?"<p>

Caligo shivered. "Grublins are here. They'll be at the grove any minute."

The dragoness's indigo eyes flashed with anger. However, it was replaced with calm as her mind worked out a plan. "Have you informed the elders?"

Caligo responded with a short nod. "Ardor is going to round up the rest of the village, as soon as I told you and returned to help."

"Good." She glanced closely at Caligo with concern. "Are you alright, Cal?" she asked gently.

She didn't reply. Her eyes wandered to the grass where frost formed around the larger dragoness's feet. She must have been more agitated than she let on.

Before she could utter a sound, a voice filled with venom drawled behind Caligo, startling her. "Well, commander Nix, are you going to stand there blathering to this pathetic dragonling or are you going to begin an attack on the intruders like a _real_ leader should?"

Nix cringed slightly as she looked calmly at the speaker. "We should not be so hasty as to attack these creatures immediately, Vitis," she said.

Caligo turned to see a slender green dragoness with hard brown eyes glaring down at her. Vitis held so much hot contempt in her eyes she wondered why she hadn't burst into flames yet—or why the earth hadn't swallowed her, considering the dragoness's powers.

Vitis sniffed. "I don't see why not. They come and torture us all for the sake of harboring _her_. We should punish them."

Caligo could tell that it took a lot of self-control for Nix not to chastise Vitis in front of her. An icy cloud puffed from her nose in her effort to seem unruffled. "I'm sorry, Vitis, but that is not the best way to handle this. I appreciate your suggestions, though I make the final decision." She closed her eyes. "Now, search for Calx and Aesta, please, and gather them here so we can confront the Grublins."

Vitis bowed her head mockingly. "Of course. As you wish, commander Nix," she growled. Then, with a final scorching glare at Caligo, she turned and launched herself into the sky, wings beating furiously.

Nix sighed, then turned to the clearing and barked, "Chrysos, Aurem!"

Two sleepy yellow heads rose to attention. Caligo always liked the twin lightning dragons. She especially liked how Chrysos's scales glittered gold and his eyes were an electric blue, and the way Aurem tried to get everyone around him to laugh. They were a perfect pair to complement each other.

"The enemy is fast approaching, and we must confront them immediately," she began brusquely. "Find Vitis, Aesta, and Calx and meet me at the cliff face."

The twins nodded in unison and chanted, "Yes, commander Nix," before flying off in the direction the earth dragoness traveled.

As soon as they were out of sight, Nix relaxed. "That one is trouble," she muttered to herself.

"Why does she hate us?" Caligo asked. She was pretty sure why, but she needed to know for sure what Nix thought.

Nix looked at her sadly. "Oh, Caligo… She is just filled with resentment and doesn't know how to control it. Vitis was jealous that I achieved the position of commander and appointed Aesta as my lieutenant, even though she was older, more experienced, and showed more ambition for the title. The elders feared she had too much ambition, however, and that she showed little forethought and empathy."

"So why does she hate me so much?"

"Vitis thought you put the village in danger long before the attacks began. Once they started, she felt that it proved her point and hoped it would gain her a higher rank in the warriors. But it didn't." Nix's dark eyes softened. "She is also a barren dragoness, cursed to never bear a child of her own. When I adopted you, she saw the life she wanted stolen from her and given to me."

Caligo dropped her gaze. "Oh," she said quietly. "I had no idea."

"It's okay, Caligo." Nix nuzzled her head. The smaller dragoness shuddered as Nix's icy breath caressed the back of her neck. It was strangely comforting. "It's not your responsibility. She was hit hard by bad luck. Nobody blames you."

_No one but Vitis and myself,_ she thought with frustration. Why did she have to show up here, in this peaceful forest with a nice village? Her existence here brought nothing but trouble. Vitis was probably right to hate her.

"I'm sure that she'll warm up to you in time. She's just as stubborn as her element.," Nix said. Frowning at Caligo's scowl, she added softly, "Your mother gave you to us for a reason."

Caligo immediately shut her eyes, savoring the few memories she had of her mother and that night: a dark, moonless sky lit only by a few dozen stars; thick mist shrouding the black figure looming before her; a monstrous roar punctuated with rage far off into the distance; a palpable feeling of panic emanating from a pair of pale yellow eyes staring down at her; two young blue dragons gasping and rushing to her side, wonder and slight fear in their visages. Caligo wasn't sure what any of it meant. She thought her mother might have given her up in order to save her from something, according to her memories. But what?

She was interrupted by another voice yelling at her. "Hey, Caligo! I've been looking everywhere for you! Most of the village is already gathered at the cave," Fel said breathlessly. His dark splotchy scales glistened with sweat.

"You'd better go," Nix chuckled quietly. "Don't worry, Caligo. We'll take care of the army."

Caligo sighed. "Be safe, mother," she said, nuzzling the larger dragoness.

"I will," Nix promised. Though as she turned, Caligo swore she saw a pinprick of doubt shadow Nix's eyes. The thought quickly disappeared, however, while she followed her best friend back to the Elders' cave. Her mother would never leave her.


	3. The Newcomer

**A/N:** Hey guys! What's up? I hope you're doing great, cuz IT'S FREAKING STORMING LIKE ARMAGEDDON HERE.

*cough* sorry. But seriously, it's raining, flashing lightning, booming thunder, and there're severe thunderstorm/tornado warnings till around midnight or two. And I have school tomorrow...

So, I finished this chapter while holed up in the basement waiting for the all clear to emerge from the dark pits of my sister's room. Enjoy! (you'd better 8U)  
>Read and Review, por favor!<p>

**Disclaimer:** I do not own the Legend of Spyro series. Sierra (and a bit of Nintendo) does, those lucky dogs…

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><p>Fel turned to Caligo once Nix was out of sight. His gray eyes glinted with mischief. "We should follow the warriors and watch the fight," he said excitedly.<p>

"I don't know… we were told explicitly to stay away and go to the cave with the others," Caligo said, nervousness making her voice waver.

Fel rolled his eyes. "Come on, Cal. When else will we be able to see this? There're never any battles around here, and they never fight all out in training."

The thought was very tempting for the young dragoness. She _did_ want to see the warriors fight; she'd always wanted to train, patrol, and hunt with them. Ever since she was a tiny hatchling wandering about the village, she had admired the warriors. Maybe the thought of serving her home would appease the other dragons and banish any doubt against her.

"I guess," she finally said.

"Awesome!" Fel dashed toward the cliff at the edge of the grove. With a little gasp of surprise, she quickly followed him, low-growing spruce branches whipping painfully across her face during her sprint. Even though pine needles carpeting the floor muffled their footsteps and their dark scales blended well in the shadows of the tall trees, they worried that someone would discover them.

Caligo knew that if they were discovered, they would be in severe trouble. They had disobeyed several elders, plus the commander of the warriors and her own mother, and sneaked off to watch a fight with the creatures about to invade their home. They might never allow her to leave the village again.

Soon, after Caligo refused to linger on what she was doing with Fel, they had reached the end of the forest. A large clearing spread out before them. Yellowing grass danced in the wind. A gray sky marked starkly with black clouds expanded coldly over the sudden drop at the far end of the opening. The evergreens thinned out dramatically, only dotting the clearing every once in a while, so there were fewer shadows to hide the two dragons. Fel swore under his breath. "Great. Now how will we see them?" he muttered.

Caligo looked around. She spotted the only tree able to hold their combined weight with enough foliage to conceal them from anyone: the Twisted Oak, a gnarled old tree that almost resembled a dragon's paw reaching from the earth to clutch the skies above, long malformed claws branching out in every direction and even plunging themselves back into the ground. "There!" she beckoned and raced towards the tree. She launched herself up the trunk and scrambled her way to the lowest branch. She heard the scratching of claws against bark and Fel joined her on the limb above.

They did not have to wait long. The sound of heavy wingbeats made them shrink farther in towards the trunk. Three large thumps followed by three smaller thuds told them that the warriors had landed at the cliff face.

"We do not wish to provoke a fight," Nix's voice rang out clearly as she addressed her comrades. "We will settle this as best as we can without the use of our teeth and claws. But, if it comes to it, be prepared. We may have no choice."

Caligo thought she heard the commander's voice crack as she finished her order. Was she really that nervous?

One dragoness cleared her throat, then Aesta's articulated accent resonated in the silence after Nix's speech. "Commander, the Grublins are almost here, and it appears as if they've brought more than just Wyverns."

Fel let out a confused grunt, which turned into a gasp. Caligo followed his gaze outside the cluster of oak leaves to the dark mass of creatures. At first, she saw nothing other than drooling, hairy bugs grasping clubs and wiry, rug-like, limbless dragons; then she caught sight of a small red dragon no older than Fel clad in black-as-night armor. A helmet obscured most of his face, though strange dark purple eyes with blood red rimming the slit pupil stared out menacingly. His forearms, biceps, thighs, and shins were covered with obsidian bracers and greaves. He even had blade attachments on the edge of his wings and the fins on the end of his tail.

When he landed, Grublins and Wyverns surrounding him in a protective semicircle, Caligo could get a better look at him. His scales were a dull dark red. Fins sliced down his back from his crown to the middle of his tail. Cracked and chipped copper-gold horns curled from his small skull towards his neck. Despite his scrawny body, he held himself with a dangerous artifice. Waves of fear seemed to roll off of him so that Caligo want to cringe and curl up in a tight ball to escape the panic that washed over her. The warriors appeared to feel the same.

After a few moments of deafening silence, the newcomer spoke. "Greetings, warriors of Novus Grove. My name is Styx. I'm sure that you all know why we have decided to grace you with our presence. We hope that you will offer little resistance, and in return, we will leave your village peacefully." His voice was not quite deep, betraying his young age, yet it creaked as if it was not used in a long time. It was an interesting contrast to his barbaric appearance.

Nix stepped forward to reply. "We apologize, young Styx, but why have you been sent along with the usual army?"

Styx cocked his head curiously. "You are the one called Nix, right? Commander of this ragtag team?" After a puzzled nod from Nix, he continued. "Lord Malefor has sent me to make sure that these simpletons follow his orders directly. They have not been doing their job properly since they received the order."

Vitis rolled her eyes impatiently. "What orders would they be, dragonling? And why would the Mighty One send a runt like you to keep them in check?"

The warriors shifted nervously when Nix shot her a warning look. Vitis kept her head high, undeterred. Nix sighed.

Styx seemed unfazed by Vitis's rudeness, however. He responded calmly with only a single twitch of his eye. "Simply to bring the one who is unlike the rest back to Lord Malefor, of course."

"I knew it!" Vitis shouted triumphantly. "We should hand the brat over immediately. She has been causing trouble for us for far too long."

Anger crept into Nix's normally calm countenance. "Vitis, may I speak to you in private?" She gave an embarrassed nod to Styx before leading the spiteful dragoness away. Unfortunately, she stopped just outside of Caligo's hearing range. The only thing that told her what was happening was Vitis's face darkening in rage and Nix's tense body. Vitis's head bowed and the two dragonesses stalked back to the cliff.

"I deeply apologize for the impudence of my warrior. As for your order, I cannot allow you to take the dragonling," Nix said with a hint of a growl in her tone.

"I understand perfectly, commander," Styx said.

"You do?" Nix stammered, baffled by his response.

He nodded. "However, I cannot ignore an order given by the great purple dragon himself, as you must understand. If you do not comply, I have full permission to use any force necessary to bring him back his prize."

Caligo shivered. Despite the dragon's unintimidating physique, she believed he could and would go through with the threat. Somehow, even Styx's mere presence cast a strange spell over the cliff face. Glancing at him made Caligo feel like a hatchling again, afraid and alone among others that were unsure of her.

Nix recovered from the threat quickly. "I must ask you to leave. Use whatever force you wish, but we will never give up one of our own," she said firmly. Her eyes hardened with determination.

Moments passed. The tension was palpable. A streak of lightning flashed blindingly across the darkening sky followed by an earth-shaking boom. It was as if the sky itself was siding with the commander. Finally, Styx nodded stiffly.

"As you wish, commander Nix," he said, bowing slightly and turning back to the cliff. "However," he added, his back to the warriors, "I will be back, and when I return, there will be no warnings. We will storm your puny village. We will show no mercy. And we will have that dragon." With that, he hissed a retreat to his army and leapt into the sky, the black clouds bursting at last and pelting the clearing with icy raindrops as the creatures sped away.

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><p><strong>AN:** If you've read this far, I love you guys :D please support my fractured ego with the magic duck tape of reviews. Sorry. It really does make my day.

Your bestest fran,

WolfmoonWarrior28


	4. Punishment

**A/N:** Hey guysssss. I have been terribly sick yesterday and today, so since I took off a day from school, I could finish this chapter for you. I apologize if the quality decreased any, especially towards the end (since I took some meds that'll make me sleepy), but I tried!

Oh! Hey! So, I'm curious; how old do you guys think I am based on my writing? I really wanna know :D

**Disclaimer:** I do not own The Legend of Spyro or anything related to it. I do own the villagers of Novus Grove, Styx, Fel, and Caligo

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><p>As soon as they were out of sight, it was like a great weight was lifted from the whole clearing. The warriors relaxed; each seemed ready to collapse on the spot from exhaustion and shock. Caligo herself wanted to melt into the cold, dripping shade of the tree she perched in and sleep. For some strange reason, the interaction with that small red dragon was draining even to Caligo. Her thoughts wandered to what Styx had said again: Was she the one Malefor was after? How did he find out where she was? And why did he want her?<p>

Fel interrupted her with a cough. "Well that was interesting."

Caligo jumped. "Um, yeah. Interesting."

Fel gave her a concerned look before carefully picking his way down the slick tree trunk. When she didn't follow, he said, "You coming?"

She blinked. "Sorry. Of course." She leaped down to the wet ground with a grunt. "It's just…"

"A lot to process," Fel finished. "I get it."

Caligo smiled. "We should probably get back to the cave before they notice we're gone."

"Yeah, I don't want grumpy old Fax to turn us into smoking craters later," Fel laughed.

Chuckling quietly, the two ran as quickly as they could back to the Elders' Dwelling, avoiding the returning warriors by a wide berth. The cold rain pelted them mercilessly. The ground was marshy and their feet sank into the mud after each step. Once they reached the cave safely, they checked if anyone saw them and ducked inside.

Too late, they realized, as a wave of blistering heat washed over them that dried them instantly, followed by a growl. "What were you dragonlings doing out there?" Fax snarled.

Caligo cowered, but Fel puffed out his roughly plated chest bravely. "We wanted to see how the warriors would handle the attack this time," he said evenly.

Fax narrowed his eyes. "Do you know how dangerous that was? You were told to stay here, and you blatantly disobeyed your elders."

Fel wavered. Caligo wanted nothing more than for a hole to open up in the ground and swallow her whole. It would be much better than enduring the chastisement from her village.

"Enough, Fax," Ardor broke in. His calm demeanor was nearly gone, replaced by a hot anger. "Caligo, Fel, I am very disappointed in you both."

If it were possible for her to feel any more shame and embarrassment she would have imploded. "I'm sorry Ardor," she said quietly.

Fel said quickly, "It wasn't Caligo's fault, Ardor. I goaded her into coming with me."

Caligo shot Fel a surprised yet grateful look. "I understand your argument," Ardor interjected, "but young Caligo was still apart of it. She chose to follow you in the end. She will not be able to avoid punishment." He sighed, suddenly looking a hundred years older.

"However, that will have to wait," a tired voice interrupted quietly.

Caligo lifted her eyes to the speaker with confusion. Nix padded softly into the cave with the other warriors landing just behind her, splashing in the mud and shaking their glistening scales clean. She stretched her dark wings. Rivulets of rainwater glided down the leathery surface, dripping loudly to the stone floor. Each warrior then stepped into the cave with grave faces, Vitis's a scowling mask of pure fury directed at Caligo.

"We have regretful news-" Nix began.

"That blasted purple dragon has ordered a full attack on our village!" Vitis announced over Nix.

The villagers instantly broke out into worried murmurs. Mothers pulled their dragonlings close with loud wails of fear, and some adult males shouted their anger and cursed Malefor. Chaotic noise echoed along the smooth cave walls, amplifying the sound and making Caligo think she was going to be deaf.

Nix tried to raise her voice above the crowd to calm them down, but none would listen. Suddenly, a terrible roar boomed, "SILENCE." The village went quiet.

Caligo looked in surprise at Ardor, who had ordered the quiet. His eyes smoldered a scorching gold. After a few moments, his face fell, ferocity replaced by weariness. "Continue, Commander Nix," he murmured.

She gave him a respectful nod and explained the arrival of Styx and his orders from Malefor. Shocked gasps greeted the news. Even Caligo felt stunned by the retelling of her experience.

When Nix finished, Ardor bowed his head somberly. "I see. This is troubling news indeed."

Fax huffed. "'Troubling' hardly covers it," he muttered.

"If the purple master wants Caligo, we cannot hand her over," Ardor concluded with finality.

"What?!" Vitis screeched. "That vile dragonling has brought us nothing but trouble! Malefor is even willing to completely destroy our village and slaughter our people all for her! We should just throw her out of the grove for his creatures to find and take her back!"

Little grumbles of agreement rose from the village. They were drowned out by shouts of outrage, though, as most of the village argued amongst each other. With horror, Caligo realized that many of the village sided with Vitis in exiling her.

Nix and Ardor bent their heads together in discussion, quietly murmuring the final decision as the arguments continued. Caligo prayed to the heavens that they would not exile her. This was the only life that she knew. If they took that away from her, she just might go mad.

Finally, with a glance from Ardor, Fax bellowed for silence. Once the village had quieted, Ardor spoke. "We have come to an agreement."

Caligo tensed her muscles in anticipation until she could barely feel them. _Please don't let them kick me out. Please don't give me to Malefor._ She chanted those thoughts over and over as she waited for the elder to resume.

"Caligo will not be given to Lord Malefor, but she cannot stay here with the village," he said.

The ground seemed to fall from under Caligo's feet at those words. She was dimly aware of the thunderous replies from the village. She was going to leave the village? Her only home?

Nix shouted while she waited for the noise to die down, "Caligo will be taken to a safe haven. Once they find out she's not in the village, they will leave us in peace." Her confidence spread over the crowd until they calmed down.

Ardor stepped forward. "For now, everyone will return to their normal duties. There will be no discussion of this from now on."

The villagers muttered to each other and filed out of the cave, discontent obvious in each of them. Caligo watched them leave numbly.

The cave was empty, other than a dazed Fel, two drained dragons, and Caligo. A blinding flash of lightning split the sky into fractures, followed almost lazily by a crack of thunder. The last of the dragons stared at each other for what felt like hours. Then Nix broke the quiet. "You two should rest. You look asleep on your paws."

Caligo was about to protest, but as soon as she opened her mouth, it stretched involuntarily into a huge yawn. "Fine," she mumbled as she nudged Fel into a shallow dip in the cave floor. There, Caligo collapsed into a pathetic heap of black scales, totally exhausted, and fell into a dreamless sleep.

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><p><strong>AN:** sorry to leave you guys with this, I'm so tired. I barely got any sleep last night, plus my head's all fuzzy, so imma take a nap.

Adios!

WolfmoonWarrior28


	5. Preparing

*gasp* who is this mysterious stranger on Wolfmoon's account? Surely it can't be the runaway author?

WRONG, MOUSEBRAINED FOOLS.

I have returned, and with a gift! I come bearing a peace offering for my inexcusable absence: Chapter 5! At this point I am totally disappointed in myself and my stupid begging for reviews and crap. I'm sorry if that annoyed you guys; writing isn't for the attention, it's for the enjoyment of what you create from your vast, incorruptible imaginations, by yourself or others. I've learned that absolutely valuable lesson in my creative writing class with my totally awesome teacher's help. Now I'm back with a vengeance. Also, I've written my own short story and it's up on Amazon! Anyone wants to check it out, it's called Gilded Eyes, it's only 99 cents, and it's got this really awesome cover done by a graphic artist in my school (whom I'm eternally grateful). It's formatted for Kindles, but there's an ad for the free Kindle app for phones, tablets, whatever. My teacher has it and he says it's cool. BASK IN MY GLORY. BASK.

Anyway, enough about my failures and winnings, time for the next chapter. I think...don't kill me for this...but this may count as a filler or something. There's like no action, but it's the one thing I wrote since my flash drives broke _again_ and I lost all of my story stuff (never, _ever_, using flash drives again. Google drive all the way!). Now I gotta start all over. At least I still have the chapters I already posted. Plus, I started on another fanfiction (which I most likely will not post here, unless I'm totally done and satisfied). It's a Warriors/Skyrim crossover that my nephew and I created one day while playing Skyrim. We chose the Khajiit and designed them to our Warriors characters. I've only written like one chapter in about a month because of school. Curses, foiled again by the broken education system! By summer I'm going to kick my lazy butt in gear, and this time I'll really do it. Plus I wanna work on some original stuff to put up with my library on Amazon.

Wow, enough rambling. On to the story you've been waiting for! And hopefully I can update the next chapter within two weeks.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Spyro franchise, though I wish I did. Everything non-canon is mine.

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><p><em>Lightning traced its bright claw across the night sky, ripping it open with a thunderous boom as the torrential rain poured down from the heavy clouds above. No color seemed to leak from the skies other than the occasional fiery strike of lightning. A fierce wind picked up and shook the mighty trees to their roots until it seemed as if the whole forest would collapse. Each raindrop contained a chilling secret, pelting the ground noisily and silently at the same time. Amidst the chaos, a sleek black shape darted between the rocking pines, a small, squirming object clutched in her arm.<em>

"_Shh," the larger figure whispered, shifting the smaller one gently. "You're almost safe, little one."_

_A roar, not from the skies, rumbled from the horizon, long and angry. The figure flinched and ran faster. Blinded by the driving rain and the dark night, she stumbled through the changing undergrowth, sometimes filled with sharp brambles, sometimes open and needle-carpeted. Finally, a flash of lightning revealed the weather-worn sign written in the language of dragons: Novus Grove._

_The figure sighed in relief and continued on, staggering on three legs in exhaustion. Small shadows snaked alongside her, seeming to push her forward and give her new energy. The tiny creature in her arm began to mewl and whimper at the ceaseless waters pounding around her; her dark muzzle stretched open to squeak as a yew branch whipped her face, revealing thorn-sharp white teeth and a long pink tongue. Her black hatchling eyes squeezed shut against the next bright flash._

"_I'm so sorry, my child," the figure holding her murmured. A tear, camouflaged by the rain racing down her face, slid down, landing with a plop on the tiny face below. "I could not protect you. I pray that someone else could raise you with more than I could give―but remember that no one else could love you the way I do."_

_All too soon, the two came across a small, well-built home. A soft light seeped from beneath the back door, warm and inviting. The scent of a fire crackled from inside, and underneath it the aroma of fresh stew and bread. Taking one last look at her child, the mother paused just outside the door; she stretched her long neck around to unfasten the saddlebag on her back and pull out a dry blanket to wrap the little one up, along with a beautifully carved ruby gem surrounded by silver wires, all arranged in an ornate necklace. She sniffed as she swaddled her child in the thick blanket and placed the too-big necklace around. "A final gift, my love. For when you grow up and remember me."_

_A soft rustling came from within the home. The mother stroked a paw across her daughter's face with a strong sense of regret in her cerulean eyes. "Goodbye," she choked, before quickly wrapping herself in shadow and stumbling away._

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><p>Caligo awoke with a gasp. A raindrop had splashed on her nose. She scattered the drop with a quiet hiss. As she pulled herself up to her tired paws, she glanced around her room. Confusion crept into her eyes. This wasn't her room. Instead of the wooden walls there was smooth stone stretching high above her head; rather than the soft, hay-stuffed mattress and worn quilt in the corner of the room, there was a prickly nest of moss, feathers, and a scratchy blanket; cold raindrops still leaked their way onto her muzzle through a hole in the roof. Then, with a shiver, she remembered. <em>I'm in the elders' cave, waiting for my banishment.<em>

She was still in shock that her mother had decided this. Even though it was only to a safe place to protect the village, she felt as though she'd been plucked from her home and tossed carelessly into the desert's strange, unforgiving terrain. _I'll never be able to come home again_, she thought bleakly.

Something jabbed its paw into her ribs, causing her to squeal in alarm. The attacker quickly scrambled to its paws with a yelp, flinging moss all over the place. Gray eyes met violet, and both dragonlings let out a nervous laugh. A feather drifted onto Fel's nose; he sneezed, knocking his head into Caligo's.

"Holy crystals, Fel! You're all kinds of clumsy today," Caligo complained, rubbing her sore nose with a paw. She didn't scent any blood, but she wasn't sure how damaged it was.

Fel clutched his ridged head with a paw. One eye was screwed shut in pain. "Sorry, Cal," he muttered. "How do the elders stand having these nests instead of a warm bed?"

"Because we're not so delicate as you might think, young one."

Fel and Caligo jumped as a long, scaly tail brushed their shoulders gently. They looked up into the clear cobalt eyes of Crystallos. Laughter accentuated the already sparkling orbs as she padded close to them.

"We may be old, but we can handle the way we've been living long before either of you were born," she said with a smile.

The dragonlings hung their heads and scuffled their paws in embarrassment.

"Are you pleasing those young delinquents, Crystallos?" Fax grumbled from his next in a far corner, away from the dripping of rain, eyes closed.

The ice dragoness twitched her tail, her smile never faltering. "They are not delinquents, firebreather. They acted on their hearts, and that will prove to be a strong weapon in itself," she retorted gently.

Fax snorted but said nothing else. Soon, his breathing eased and he'd fallen asleep.

"Come," Crystallos murmured, sweeping her cool tail over the dragonlings. Caligo shivered as the icy touch chilled the drops of rain clinging to her scales. "We must prepare Caligo for her journey."

Caligo secretly appreciated how the elder used the word "journey" rather than "exile." Bitterly, she wanted to snap that she would be staying, and they shouldn't waste their energy preparing her for a trip that would break her heart. But glancing up at the kind, weathered face of her elder, she couldn't bring herself to do it.

Instead, she tried to make conversation, and hopefully stall the journey. "Has Sana Medella found something for you and the others for winter?" she asked.

Crystallos started, as if she didn't expect Caligo to talk more. "Well," she said slowly, "our Medella has discovered a poultice of marigold, daisy leaves, burnet, and honey, as well as a healing touch of her horn. It's a bit old fashioned, like us elders, but it seems to work so far." Her teasing was light, and Caligo felt a bit better.

"That's good," she said. Glancing over at Fel, she noticed her best friend was being uncharacteristically silent; he stared at the ground with lids drooping as if he would fall asleep at any moment, although there was no tiredness in his features, only something darker. Rage, perhaps, or betrayal. Caligo was puzzled.

Hanging back, she caught up to Fel. "Are you alright?" she whispered, concerned.

His silver eyes flashed with anger. "Of course not," he hissed. "Any moment now, you'll be leaving our village for some stupid reason to a place we've never even heard of. The worst part is you might not even come back. What'll I do without you, Cal?" His voice cracked as it dropped to a whisper. "We've known each other since we can remember. What _can_ I do without you?"

Caligo felt a lump in her throat. She hated seeing Fel so utterly defeated; he looked so small and vulnerable, she wanted to throw herself at him and hold him and never let go. This was all her fault. How could she leave him like this? Suddenly, an idea formed in her mind.

"You'll never have to know, Fel," Caligo said firmly, nudging his fallen face up, his eyes clouded in confusion. "You're coming with me."

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><p>"Absolutely not," Fax snarled. Steam curled out of his nose, heating the light rain around it so that it hissed and evaporated.<p>

Caligo stood her ground, though her short black legs trembled as she faced the temperamental elder.

Slightly more sympathetic, Lapis stepped in front of Fax. "I know you want to stay together, especially after being friends since hatchlings, but I'm afraid Fax is right," she murmured. Her eyes stayed on her son, but Fel wouldn't look back. She sighed, adding, "It's just too dangerous."

Suddenly Fel exploded. "Too dangerous?" he spat. "You're _exiling_ Caligo, who's done nothing wrong practically her whole life, just for _existing_. It's not her fault some dungbrain wants to find her, yet you treat her as if it was! You say it's so dangerous, but you're sending a young dragon without an element away from the home she's known all her life with no protection because you're _scared_."

For a few moments Lapis stared at Fel, unreadable thoughts hidden behind her eyes. Caligo thought she saw a tear glistening just in the corners, but she'd blinked and the shine was gone. "You sound just like your father," she rasped quietly before looking away. "He was always going on about the greater good, and protecting young ones from injustice."

Fel started, suddenly unsure. "M-my father?"

His mother opened her mouth to reply but Fax had stepped forward, glaring at the earth elder with unveiled hostility. Caligo was puzzled; what was there to be hostile about with Lapis?

"Lapis, we don't have time for this," he growled, practically spitting fire. "We need to move this young dragonling to the safe place."

Bowing her head, Lapis conceded. "Of course. Let me get Nix, and we can see her off."

Caligo felt an uncomfortable pricking under her scales. The tension between the two elders was palpable, as if they shared a dark secret that neither was happy with. But they had left it at that, heading their separate ways, spines tense. When she glanced over at Fel, she saw the torment in his eyes. How cruel that Lapis would mention his father around him when it so obviously caused him pain! Slowly, she padded up to her friend, pressing her head under his chin in affection; it was easy to do since Fel was a few paw lengths taller than her.

At first he tensed, like she had woken him from a nightmare, but in a few seconds he had melted against her. "I never knew my father," he admitted in a weak whisper. "From what my mother says about him, he seems like he would've been a great dad, but… Most of the time she acts like he didn't even exist, like he was the worst pirate to ever fly and he'd wronged her. I know he didn't. She talks too much like he was the perfect dragon. I just…"

Caligo murmured in sympathy. "I never knew either of my parents. Since I can remember I've been in this village, raised by Nix and scorned by many of the other adults."

Fel sniffed. "What, is this a contest? Whose life sucks the most, because you'd win for sure."

Caligo could tell he was trying to cheer himself up, so she played along. "Please, Fel. You're the town fool, always getting into trouble and slipping out of it like a fish through wet paws. You must've been grounded so many times just as a hatchling."

Fel laughed truly for the first time since before the attack, and Caligo laughed with him; it was almost a desperate expression, as if she wanted nothing more than to shout her troubles away, but there was a hint of sincerity in it. Soon the pair were laying on the grass, stretched out and breathless. It seemed like at that moment nothing could break the two apart, nothing could bring them down.

Then Nix approached, a bemused grin on her muzzle. Instantly the laughter died. The dragonlings stared somberly at each other as the ice dragoness stood before them. "It's time, Caligo," she said. There was a firmness to her gaze, as well as a sadness behind it.

"Fine," Caligo said. Hearing another sniff from Fel, she added, "However, I'll leave only if Fel comes with, at least as far as the edge of the forest."

Nix rolled her eyes in exasperation, then let out a defeated sigh. "You're not going to let this go, are you?" When Caligo shook her head, she narrowed her eyes in thought. "Alright, he can come _only_ as far as the edge of the forest. After that he must return to the village."

Inside, Caligo was cheering absolutely, but she kept a straight face as she dipped her head in thanks. Fel copied her, adding an exaggerated bow to show his gratitude.

"Okay, then. We leave at sunhigh."


	6. Even More Preparing

...

I'm just going to crawl away in a hole now. kthanxbai.

HOLY NUGGETS, MAN. WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME I'D BEEN NEGLECTING THIS PAGE.

Caligo: maybe because you're lazy and have been obsessing over Skyrim too much lately?

_Never talk about my bb like that again or I'll cause an unfortunate accident between you and a river _8U

Caligo: O.o

Now *ahem* sorry about that. I keep writing bits of this and planning it, then forgetting to continue the next chapter. Heh heh... yeah... *nervously coughs* I've also been writing a Skyrim fanfiction on my own inspired by massivelyattack's The Girl With the Voice series. I LOVE Skyrim's roleplaying potential. I've created like four different files with two Khajiit (a Warrior's crossover type thing with one of my OCs, lol, and a thieving assassin snow leopard named Snowball o3o), a wood elf (...is it bad that I created a Ganondorf file?), and a sassy, nimble-fingered, tiny, borderline anorexic dinosaur, sorry, _Argonian,_ who begins hating Skyrim and ends up (grudgingly) liking it. Oh my gosh I love that game so freakin' much.

I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO ABANDON THIS. I HAD MY FIRST REAL VACATION IN A LONG TIME AND THE WIFI AT THE CONDO WOULDN'T SUPPORT MY MAC'S BANDWIDTH OR SOMETHING SO I COULDN'T USE GOOGLE DOCS AND CHECK MY ACCOUNT AND *rambles excuses till the cows come home* oh hey frank how're the calfs

**Insert standard disclaimer here, have a nice day, enjoy the story, etc.**

Caligo: Why aren't I out of the village yet?

...cuz I keep writing and end up not continuing the plot yet, now shut up

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><p>It wasn't enough time. In only a few hours, Caligo would be ripped from her comfortable home hidden away in a beautiful forest. She hadn't even learned her element yet. Most other dragonlings her age already knew what theirs was, if their scale colors weren't obvious enough, and even if they hadn't started training. She didn't know what a black dragon could possibly do. It wasn't fair.<p>

"Quit sighing like a lovesick sparrow," Fel said. He playfully shoved her shoulder as they walked one last time through the village. Caligo bowed her head mockingly.

"Of course, Your Majesty," she teased, making sure her horns nearly scraped the ground. "As you wish."

"Well, my loyal subject," he said loudly, "as long as you're obeying orders, go fetch me some baked eels, preferably fresh and king-sized." Caligo eyed his belly. "Are you sure, my king? You're getting a bit round in the gut, there. The fool may wish to poke fun at you."

Fel laughed. "Let him! All I want is a nice eel. If I don't like his opinions, I could always execute him."

A small yellow shape hurled itself at the dragons, screeching, "GUYSIHEARDYOUWERELEAVINGANDIT'SNOTFAIRWHYAREYOUGOINGWHYCAN'TYOUSTAYCANIGOWITHPLEASEPLEASEPLEASE."

Fel and Caligo exchanged exasperated glances. The black dragoness gently put a paw on the little one's mouth and straightened into a sitting position. "Sparkie, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your mother?"

Sparkie nodded, trying to speak with a faceful of scales. Caligo removed her paw and his mouth started running again. "I left mom at the market because I wanted to see you guys because I heard you were leaving soon and I wanted to see you-"

"You just ran full circle there, kid," Fel interrupted, nudging his spiky head.

Sparkie rolled his pink eyes. "Sorry, Fel. But I really wanted to see you guys. Why are you leaving?"

Caligo's heart shrank further at the hurt look in his young face. "I'm leaving, Sparkie, because of a terrible danger that could hurt you all. Fel's not leaving; he's only coming with me to the edge of the forest." _But hopefully beyond_, she added to herself.

"But you're not dangerous. You're fun!" Sparkie trotted around the pair until they started to feel dizzy. "You'd never hurt anyone!"

_Such simplicity… I wish the adults could think like children again. Then maybe this whole mess wouldn't have happened._ Caligo allowed him a few more laps around them before halting him with her tail.

"Hey, wanna play a game?" Sparkie suddenly said, gazing up with the most innocent expression he could muster. Caligo nearly melted at it.

She opened her mouth to reply―no doubt an affirmative―when a harried-looking dragoness came running up. Her electric spikes prickled along her spine in agitation. "Sparkie, where have you been?" she shrieked.

Sparkie rolled his eyes again. "Mom―"

"No, young dragon. You're going straight home while I―" she broke off when she caught sight of Caligo. She almost seemed embarrassed. "I...I'm sorry."

Caligo dipped her head, a little embarrassed herself. "It's alright, Clara. Sparkie was saying goodbye."

Sparkie's mother nodded tightly, avoiding Caligo's gaze. "I'm sorry," she repeated quietly. Then she herded her reluctant child along back towards the market.

Sadly, Caligo watched them go. Fel grunted in disgust beside her. "That's all she has to say?" he muttered.

The black dragoness ignored him. It seemed as if every dragon felt sorry for her. They couldn't even look at her or hear her name without cringing. Before she knew it, a silent sigh escaped her. With her eyes closed, she didn't notice a tiny, imperceptible tendril of darkness slither out of her mouth and onto the ground, blending perfectly with her own shadow, gone as quickly as it had appeared.

"Caligo!"

Caligo shrank back. Fax ambled towards her, his face a silent wall of fiery rage; then again, his face held nothing but anger most of the time. Fel leaned over and whispered, "Told you he was scary." She didn't argue this time.

When the elder had reached them, he paused. "It's time," he grunted.

Caligo bowed her head, submissive. "Yes, Fax," she said quietly.

With a stern stare at Fel as if to warn him, _If you ever tell anyone about me comforting someone, I'll roast you!_, Fax bent over the tiny dragonling. "I'm sorry, young one," he murmured with sympathy.

Caligo's eyes hardened. "I don't need your apology!" she shouted. Then she shoved past the enormous elder and streaked recklessly across the village. She blundered through the shocked crowds, stumbled away from the tempting smells of goods, anything to distract her from the desperate tearing at her heart. She knew she was being childish. She didn't care. She wanted to run forever, away from the village, away from her life. Suddenly she crashed against a cool, wet surface.

"Oh!" Nix exclaimed. A fishy smell came from the older dragoness; on her back was a saddlebag, soaked and bulging. She must've been fishing. "Caligo, what's wrong?"

"Everything!" Caligo screeched, as if all of her pain would dissipate in her exhalation. _Did she even have to ask?_ she thought miserably. "I wish I'd never been born!"

Nix darkened. She curled herself, fish and all, around her daughter's shaky frame. "Don't you ever say that," Nix growled. "Don't ever say that, because that breaks my heart far more than sending you away. I love you, Cal. No amount of back luck will ever change that. You're my daughter, whether or not by blood, because I raised you and loved you. If you were never born, I wouldn't have been as happy as I am right now, right beside you. And I know Fel would feel the same."

Caligo sniffed. The aching in her chest had eased a bit to a more bearable throb. Her mother was right. How could she have been so selfish? Despite knowing how childish she was, it had been a relief to finally say what she really felt, but sense was soon knocked into her little head.

She drew her tear-streaked muzzle tenderly along Nix's foreleg. "Is it time to go?" she whispered, her voice cracking. She then felt rather than saw the affirmative nod. Her legs nearly gave out from under her.

Nix straightened out, clearing her throat of emotions. Her eyes still wandered, half-lidded, as she returned to business. "I've packed your bags this morning. They'll be waiting in your room."

Caligo attempted to straighten herself as well and appear to be the brave leader her mother was. "Let's go, then."

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><p>Her pack weighed heavily on her shoulders, the satchels hanging off the sides bumping uncomfortably against her chafing legs. After she had wearily dragged herself home, she had taken a look inside the packs her mother had put together; inside was a few clean quilts, her favorite―albeit worn and torn―old blanket given to her by her blood-mother, a stuffed black dragon toy Crystallos had made for her as a tiny hatchling, her books, a SparkLight lamp invented by Sparkie's father, and some dried snacks for the journey. It was all she could do not to allow the flow of tears to come again.<p>

Caligo looked around at the villagers, each carefully avoiding her or standing awkwardly in a farewell-line out of their home. She raised her head and tried to look every one of them in the eye. They knew her fate; why should she feel so miserable? But deep in her heart her soul shook with fear of the unknown and sadness in the coming isolation.

"Bye, Caligo!" Sparkie chirped. "See you later!" His mother shushed him, but his crooked grin never left him. Caligo smiled back, forever grateful for his lighter moods. His friends crowded behind him and stared at the small dragonling, only slightly bigger than them, about to embark on a great journey. One by one, they cracked a grin as wide as their friend's and shouted heartfelt goodbyes.

She looked away at last, unable to bear their naivety. Finally, after some last farewells and friendly nuzzles from the youngest and oldest of the village, she realized that Fel had not come to see her off. "Where's Fel?"

Nix started. "Fel? Hasn't he said goodbye yet?" she asked, truly surprised.

Nervousness gnawed at Caligo's belly. Where was her best friend?

Fax shook his mighty head. "It doesn't matter," he growled. "That daft dragonling is always late, as are you."

Nix, still harboring a troubled frown, nodded reluctantly. There was also a flash of suspicion, but it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. "He's right. We must leave."

Still staring into the dissipating crowd, Caligo's heart beat faster. "But Fel―"

"If Fel can't be bothered to show his troublemaking face for his best friend, that's his problem." Smoke curled out of Fax's nostrils. Clearly he was as upset as Caligo at his disappearance, but it didn't appear to be for the same reason. She tilted her head and opened her mouth to ask, but the elder snorted and nudged her along. "Get out of here, dragonling," he said, appearing almost gentle for a moment.

Caligo complied, staring at her ivory claws seeming even brighter against the ebony of her scales. She said a last silent goodbye, and a final prayer of protection, to the home she'd known since she could remember. It could be the last she'd ever see of it.


	7. Wandering

**A/N:** not gonna say anything and ruin myself further

*struggles to stay quiet*

...

ALRIGHT I'M SORRY. ANOTHER LONG WAIT. I CAN'T HELP MESELF. EVERY TIME I MANAGE TO GRASP MY SLIPPERY MUSE, IT JUST SPITS IN MY FACE AND FLIES AWAY LAUGHING. *sniff* at least this one is a little longer, even if by a hundred or so words. Will that help, guys? ...guys?

Seriously, though. I kept coming back to this one and... nothing. I just didn't know what to write. I even had some of the next chapter written, but the transition escaped me for so long. Don't worry, it's definitely not discontinued or anything. It's just a bit slow. This is my way of writing even when I don't feel like it. I need to keep up the practice to make it feel more write (lol get it? ... sorry) so that I can practice chasing away Invader WB, that dumb cube, and capturing my fish-like muse. I feel like a clumsy ThunderClan apprentice living with graceful RiverClan for a while... I'm not used to the conditions, and everything is slippery. Blech. Stupid fish-breathed mousebrains...

Anyway, if anyone can tell me the inspirations for the new kids, you get a free internet cookie! And not the bits kind. Yey!

**Disclaimer:** I do not, and never will, own Spyro the Dragon. I do own these random dergerns and kitters you see here

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><p>Halfway through the day, Caligo, Nix, and another older dragon, Regenfall, had traveled almost nonstop along the river flowing just outside the village. Its chattering banks seemed to mock Caligo, tired and thirsty under the blazing sun. The cool green waters splashed and danced over the stones draped with moss that interrupted its quiet slithering. Caligo wanted nothing more than to leap headfirst into the river. Despite the time taken and the lack of stops, they had not traveled far, and her paws were sore.<p>

"Can we stop for a moment?" she panted.

Nix glanced up at the sky, her brow furrowed in thought. Regenfall, as cool and graceful as the river beside him, paused. His eyes also lusted for a swim. Caligo remembered that he was a water dragon, a version of the fickle element that her mother was a part of; appropriate as brother to the dragoness. His clear green eyes reminded her of the ever-flowing body of water, though his cloudy gray scales were more closely related to a stormy sky.

Finally Nix nodded her head. "Yes, but only for a moment. It's a long way to― Hey!" she spluttered, now covered in cool water. Both Regenfall and Caligo had dived into the river, sending a wave in every direction. Caligo let out a sigh of relief as the cold water rushed over her steaming scales. Being a black dragon, she had heated up far quicker than the elder, lighter colored dragons traveling with her, even with her smaller size.

Nix shook her head in exasperation. "Regenfall, you're just as bad as a hatchling," she chastised.

The gray dragon poked his head up from beneath the surface. "This is my element, Nix. I must cater to its every beck and call." With a great _splash_ he submerged himself once more.

After a few more moments, Nix called them back to dry land. Both dragons left dragging themselves disappointedly out of the river, casting longing glances at the rippling waves. Nix rolled her eyes. "It's not that hot."

Regenfall stared at her. "You're an ice dragon, how can you not be _hot_!"

Nix snorted. "I've learned how to use my element to cool me down without wearing myself out. I've many years in me of practice, young ones."

An icy blade struck Caligo's heart. "You're not old!" she protested. Although as she said it, she caught weary lines tracing along the bottom of her mother's eyes, and she held herself less erect and alert as she used to.

"Don't worry, Caligo," Nix soothed, catching her reaction. She rested her long tail over Caligo's shoulders. "I'll still be here for you for a long time yet."

She shrugged her off. Nix's words hadn't calmed her. In fact, they'd dug the icy shard deeper into her heart. A chill rippled through her despite the blazing heat. How much longer would she be able to be with her mother?

Regenfall stopped short, and Caligo, not paying attention, bumped into his hindquarters with a squeak. He glanced back at her with a sheepish grin and turned back to the obstacle: a peddler sat by a large stone, dazed, a thick paw draped over his muzzle. Caligo stared in shock. The peddler removed his paw and revealed a stubby golden snout, a pink nose unlike any she'd ever seen, striking blue eyes, and _fur._ What was this creature? Her alarm increased as she caught a sharp, coppery scent. _Blood!_

"Oh, dear!" Nix exclaimed, rushing to the peddler. He let out a groan of pain as she approached.

"What happened?" Regenfall asked as he approached more cautiously. There was a flash of something in his eyes that Caligo couldn't read, though it disappeared too quickly to dwell on.

Caligo ducked behind Nix, wary of the stranger. "What is he?" she whispered to her mother.

Nix bent over the peddler. "A jaguar, dear," she replied without looking, "and hurt, by the looks of it."

He let out another groan. "Thieves! Filthy gem-stealing thieves!"

Regenfall was beside him in an instant. "Thieves?" he repeated. "Where?"

Anger smoldered in his gaze. "I don't know! Off in the city by now selling my hard-earned merchandise. Oh, Cicero, no!"

_Cicero?_ Nix and Regenfall exchanged a glance.

"You must help Cicero! He's after the gems, but he's run into trouble. He's no match for the merciless thieves. He'll die!"

Nix narrowed her eyes. "Slow down, peddler. Who is Cicero? And who are you?"

He growled with impatience, though it was a stranger, lighter snarl than the dragons she was used to. "My son! My apprentice! His title means nothing, only that he is brought back. He cannot be lost!"

"And you?"

"Nexus the Wanderer," he spat. "And I need Cicero!"

Nix gestured for Regenfall to step aside. They lowered their heads in quiet conversation. Caligo strained to pick up their words, though the squirming, injured Nexus distracted her. Everytime she caught one of the two names―_Cicero, Nexus_―the jaguar muttered curses under his rancid breath. She tried to shut him out, envying his external ears for a few moments.

Finally, Nix and Regenfall turned to Nexus. "Alright. We'll help you find your son," Nix conceded. Though Caligo noticed a dark mask underneath the dragons' faces―a shadow of doubt, perhaps? _Always keeping secrets, even around other adults!_ Caligo grumbled to herself. Why couldn't they be normal all the time?

Nexus grunted in reply, a form of thanks, she supposed, then returned to resting beside his rock.

"He's hurt."

Nix turned to Caligo with wide eyes. The black dragoness looked back and forth between her mother and the jaguar.

"We can't leave him here," she pressed. _No matter how much of a pain in the tail he is._

Nexus shot up. "Leave now!" he screeched. "They could be killing him at this moment! Go after him!"

Regenfall let out a low growl, almost too quiet for Caligo to hear. Despite his temper, Nexus did seem to care an awful lot for his son.

"I'm sorry, Caligo," Nix sighed after the pause. "We need to move on." Caligo began to protest, but Nix cut her off. "If we happen to find his son on the way, or at least clues of him, we can rescue him, but we can't risk taking too much time to take you to the safe place."

"Fine," the black dragoness grumbled, staring mutinously at her paws. Her claws curled into the grass, slicing through the tough strands and burying into the hard-packed dirt. She didn't like doing nothing when someone was in trouble; she'd had enough of it in her own village her whole life. She would find Cicero safely, take care of the thieves who'd stolen him, and bring him back to his father―whether her mother allowed it or not.

A low rumble of thunder followed her promise.

* * *

><p>"Caligo!"<p>

Caligo awoke with a start. The night seemed cool, much more so than the heated day before. A full moon wavered above the wide river, and the gentle plash of the last drops of rain rippled the puddles it had made earlier. The soft, slight curve of her ivory horns brushed against her shoulder blades as she glanced up at the dark sky. What had woken her up?

Starlight gleamed like frost, washing everything in eerie silver. A pair of eyes reflected across the river, dark yet familiar. Caligo peered harder. Rough, bumpy scales tumbling down a strong spine; dark, splotchy patterns; eyes as silver as the moon…

Caligo gasped. "Fel?" she whispered. Beside her, Nix grumbled in her sleep and rolled on her side. Caligo held her breath anxiously. The pair of eyes blinked at her.

"Come over here," Fel strained to keep quiet.

Doubt struck the dragonling. Fel shouldn't have come, no matter how much she had so wanted him to. _But he's here now,_ she sighed inwardly. Carefully making sure Nix and Regenfall were deeply asleep, she pulled herself out of the shallow scoop she'd slept in and crept up to the river. She paused at the edge, water lapping gently at her claws. How would she get across quietly enough? Even though she had swam in it earlier, she wasn't as good as a swimmer as Regenfall and would most certainly make too much noise. Tentatively, she dipped a paw in.

"Hurry!" Fel hissed. "It's important."

_Keep your scales on_, Caligo muttered. She took a deep breath and waded in. The current rippled around her body, much colder than before; she stifled a gasp of surprise. Soon, and with hardly a splash, she'd made it to the deepest part of the river. Rather than flounder in the depths like a half-drowned pidgeon, she sank under the surface, careful to keep her nostrils just underneath in case she needed a breath and didn't come crashing to the shore with desperate gulps. Surprisingly, she found herself easily swiping her paws to propel herself forward. She hoped to the heavens that her swim would be disguised by the general chatter of the river. Finally, her paws brushed pebbles and she prepared herself to emerge.

As soon as her head was clear, Fel leaped out of the bushes and grabbed her with his paws, dragging her through with barely a whisper. "Hey―"

"Shh!" Fel hissed. "You made enough noise for Regenfall to shift and raise his head while you were in there."

Embarrassment flooded through Caligo. So she wasn't as quiet as she'd hoped. She peered through the bushes to watch the water dragon look around sleepily; then he shrugged, eyes still half-lidded, and sank back into his sleep. She let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

"That was too close," she said. Then a thought occurred to her. "Why are you here?"

"Quiet!" Fel's silver eyes darted back and forth. He guided her away from their hiding place until he seemed satisfied no one would hear them. "I know where Cicero is."

Caligo stared at him. "You know about Cicero?" Was he really following them that closely?

"I dropped in on a word or two with that cat-guy," he admitted.

"Jaguar," Caligo corrected.

"Right. He was a jerk, wasn't he?"

"A bit." Her violet eyes sparkled with mischief. "And his breath smelled like Fax after a bad carp."

"Right?" Fel laughed, and Caligo joined in. It wasn't as carefree as the laugh they shared the night she was banished, but it felt just as good. She felt the tension ease off of her shoulders and her belly feel looser.

Once they'd finished laughing, Caligo sat on her haunches, staring at the lightening sky. "So what do we do now?" she asked, almost afraid for the answer.

Fel glanced away. "We find Cicero. If the adults don't want to be a hero, then we'll do it for them."

"How are we going to do that? We don't even know where he is."

"But I do, remember?" Fel reached into a saddle pack she hadn't noticed before and dug through it, emerging with a rolled up piece of parchment. It looked like it had seen better days, with faded colors, ripped edges, and thin, easily torn folds. When he unrolled it, she widened her eyes.

"A wanted poster?" she struggled to say. Four dark jaguars were crammed into the picture, each a snarling, scarred face devoid of any fur markings like the one she'd seen on Nexus. Instead, every inch of fur was either night black or torn to reveal pink skin underneath. Menacing dark amber eyes peered out from hooded lids.

Fel nodded. "I found it a little ways away from the river posted to a tree. There's a reward on it, too. 5,000 Gems each! They must be super dangerous to be worth that much. It has to be the same ones that took Cicero!" Excitement lit his face, but Caligo's stomach churned in fear. They were only dragonlings; they'd never be able to survive a brief encounter with those criminals, let alone capture them and turn them in.

Another thought wormed its way into her head. Rescuing Cicero, capturing the criminals, and claiming the reward might just earn her the respect of everyone in the village―they might even allow her to stay there, or even train as a warrior to protect the village! She shivered at the thought, excitement creeping along her spine. She didn't even have to capture the jaguars, but lead Nix and Regenfall right to them to take them out. The reward could pay for so many upgrades to the village, they'd _have _to let her back in!

"Caligo?" Fel broke in, peering at her in concern. Her eyes were stretched open, and she glanced down to see the grass churned up beneath her claws.

"Sorry, I was thinking," she murmured.

"And?"

Caligo looked back into Fel's eyes, enjoying the blaze behind the silver disks, and said, "I'm in. Let's rescue Cicero."


	8. A New Friend

**A/N:** Just gonna drop this off for you guys. Some of this was prewritten, and the next chapter I *gasp* ACTUALLY PLANNED OUT OMG HOW DOES ONE WRITE REALLY. Also, school for me starts on Thursday, so I may slow down, or I may even speed up. Who knows? Hopefully the latter, so that I can spend more time editing rather than adding parts every once and a while ^^ yeah, I'm a derp yo. And for once, my update has been within, what, a week or so apart from the last? A record o3o maybe I can beat it next time. I have this goal where I have to write, draw, or physically plan this story at least once a day (spending between 10 minutes and an hour as the usual time frame). School seems to be interfering, though, that dastardly fiend! And I may be getting a part-time job during school, so that's a thing...

FEAR NOT, FOR I SHALL BE THINKING OF YOU ALWAYS. Seriously, one of the only reasons I've continued this despite a long time of nothing is because I reread the reviews and, though they are few in number, they hold a special place in my heart, because it tells me that people really like my story. I follow a lot of stories that haven't updated in a while (the longest being Ruthie's "Heart of a Warrior", my all time favorite fanfiction so far, which hasn't been updated since 2009 holy cow. But you guys should check out Ruthie of the Wildcats if you enjoy AMAZING WARRIORS FANFICTION PLUS OTHER THINGS I HAVEN'T READ YET LOL SHAMELESS PROMOTING YET AGAIN), and I await patiently for their newest piece of love or the dreaded "discontinued" stamp. I hate disappointing people, and I love praise. Wow I am a five-year-old. So give this five-year-old a cookie she so longs for and tell her what you think, whether you love it or hate it (though if you're still reading this and dislike it, what are you doing silly person go find someone cooler than me with Spyro 'n' bros). Enjoy!

wow i just noticed my chapters keep getting slowly longer holy cow

**Disclaimer:** Why in all things copyrighted would you think I owned this piece of art dum-dums

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Caligo whispered.<p>

"Of course," Fel answered without looking, though Caligo sensed some hesitation in his words, as if he hadn't convinced himself. With a half-frustrated flick of her tail, she continued behind in uncomfortable silence.

The moon shone fitfully behind dark clouds drifting across the sky. The storm had not yet completely passed, though the rain had stopped and the chill was nearly chased away by summer's heat. Caligo almost wished the clouds would stay; she felt at home in the passing shadows. Besides, the dense cover of the woods was beginning to thin out, and the lack of light would hide them both with their dark colors and dappled scales.

Moments passed with no evidence of Cicero or the thieves―not that they could spot much in the night's sparse light. In the passing of time, Caligo began to wonder, not for the first time since she woke, if Fel's appearance had been a good thing. She knew how reckless her friend could be, and his spontaneous plan was the most fish-brained she could remember. Despite her list of positives the outcome of their trip could bring, the negatives nearly completely outweighed them in urgency, if not in number. Neither of the adults knew that they had gone, let alone where they were, and they were after a gang of thieves with a high enough notoriety that they were worth 5,000 gems each, all probably armed with a lack of qualms in cutting down two wandering youths with a convicting poster of them in a bag.

She shuddered. Their lives at risk did not seem worth any amount they could've gained from any part of their expedition.

"Fel, I don't know about this…" she began, only to halt as her friend stiffened beside her. "What?"

Fel lowered his head to a particularly long clump of grass. He gave it a sniff, and Caligo thought that maybe he had gone mad, when he raised his head again, silver eyes alight with excitement. A short tuft of fur clung to his nose, gold banded with rich brown and raven black. On the end sat a stubborn thorn, probably from the forest they'd just left behind. "Look at this! It must be Cicero's, caught on a bramble."

Caligo's stomach dropped. There was no way she could back out now. They'd found a clue, solid enough to force her to continue. Her mind raced to find something to persuade Fel they should turn back. "Are you sure it's his?" she finally blurted out.

Fel gave her a strange look; the tuft of fur slid off his muzzle and floated gently to the ground where it rested at the tip of Caligo's claws. "It kinda smells like that old guy Nexus, and it's jaguar fur. It has to be his."

There was so much conviction in his words that Caligo only sighed, giving in. If Fel believed it was their target, there would've been no way to change his mind. If there had been only a slight hesitation, a single spark of doubt behind his confidence, there would've been hope in Caligo changing his mind. Alas, there was none.

"Alright," she said, giving in. If Fel weren't with her, she wouldn't have had the courage to stray from her mother's side, even to rescue the kidnapped peddler's son; she couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not. "Let's keep going."

Fel dipped his head and continued on the scant trail. Over and over, Caligo thought to herself that they were doing the right thing, that they would return a hero and that, just maybe, they would be able to escape the consequences of breaking the rules for once. It was a small spark of hope, but one that she held on to dearly. Fel may have been a magnet of trouble, but he somehow came out unscathed every time. Perhaps his streak of luck would hold.

Soon, the trees had released their hold on the land and they saw nothing but meadows ahead of them; even the river twisted away into the shade of the forest. Caligo swallowed a lump of apprehension rising in her throat. The river was their only solid sense of direction other than the moon or sun. Without it, they could wander miles away from their adult escorts with no way of knowing how to return. She was sure that, if Nix somehow found out that she had wandered, her mother would automatically think that she would follow the river. She knew how cautious Caligo tried to be, and such an obvious way of keeping track of her travels would absolutely be where she would go… normally.

_Just save Cicero, sneak past the thieves with their hideout in mind, come back to the river, and deliver Cicero to his father. Nothing to worry about. It will all be okay._ Although she repeated her calming mantra until the words were numb to her mind, she still found herself with eyes darting to every rock and tussock of grass fearfully.

Fel pressed against her side suddenly, quieting her protesting muscles. "Maybe we should rest a bit," he suggested. Gently, he guided her to the deep shadow of a shallow cave made by worn hillside and an overhanging rock. Instantly the dark swallowed her and she could feel herself relax. A massive yawn found its way to her jaws. How long had she been so tired but too wound up to notice?

"We should prob'ly take turns keepin' watch," she mumbled sleepily. "Nix 'n' Regenf… could find us… take 's back…"

No matter how hard she fought to stay awake and hear Fel's answer, the soothing talons of sleep caressed the back of her mind and she knew no more.

* * *

><p>Daylight streamed into the shelter, bright and burning behind Caligo's eyelids. She groaned in protest and pawed weakly at the invisible streams prodding her vision. "Just a few more minutes, Nix…"<p>

"Nix? Snow! Mother of darkness and cold!"

Caligo's eyes flew open in shock. She bolted upright, looking around frantically, trying to find the source of the voice but only found an empty scoop beside her, still slightly warm. Fel. Where was Fel?

"Awake!" the same voice cried happily.

Caligo backed away deeper into the shade until her spine pressed against the earth, her bladed tail curled in front of her defensively. Fear took over her mind―What if it was one of the thieves come to take them away? What if they had Fel already and were back for her? She struggled to breathe quietly until she caught a glimpse of golden fur at the edge of the den, as if the newcomer were waiting patiently for her to emerge. Taking a deep breath and releasing it gustily, she tried to reason with herself; if it really was one of the thieves, it probably wouldn't sound so young and innocent, and it had gold fur rather than black. _Besides_, she added, _Fel would've made a racket enough to wake the ancestors if he was in trouble._ Feeling a little better, she slowly crawled out of the den.

"Hi!" the voice mewed, suddenly close to Caligo's face. She stifled a shriek and scrambled backwards. Deep green eyes that reflected the sun's light stared at her widely, surrounded by rings of darker fur. "The sleeping one went to fetch breakfast," he announced.

Caligo nodded uncertainly, failing to hold back her confusion. _Sleeping one?_ Wasn't she the one that was just asleep? "Who are you?"

The jaguar capered around her on all four paws, making a strange rumbling sound. "You know me. I know you. He told me to wait, so I waited!"

Dizzy now, she shook her head rapidly. Her mind flew back to their mission. "Are you Cicero?"

"Yep, yep, yep!" Cicero paused, his eyes glancing behind her. "Sleepy-paw's here."

Caligo whirled around, nearly colliding with a familiar green snout muffled with prey. "Fel!" she gasped.

"What the―" Fel began, releasing his bundle, only to break off as his eyes met Cicero's. His snout wrinkled in suspicion. "Who's that?" he growled.

Before she could answer, Cicero pounced on the small pile of prey Fel had carried, sniffing out a large thrush and dragging it into the shade of the small cave to eat. Fel blinked, astonished. "Hey―"

"Cicero loves flying things. Very protective. Very safe." He plunged his muzzle into the bird and munched cheerfully through the feathers.

"Cicero?" Fel spluttered. A single glance at Caligo, mirroring his own exasperation, confirmed his suspicions.

"Fel, meet Cicero," she shrugged. "He was here when I woke up."

"Right…" Fel switched his gaze from the strange cat to his prey. Besides the thrush, he had only found a small snake. He looked once again at the thrush longingly before nudging the snake towards Caligo. "I haven't had many hunting lessons from Calx, and this was all I could find. The thrush made enough noise to warn everything from here to the village, and the snake practically jumped into my mouth when I startled it."

Caligo shrank away from the reptile; its mottled green scales reminded her of her friend's, and its dead eyes did not help. "No, thanks," she shuddered. "I can catch a fish or two from the river. Nix taught me how."

Fel shrugged. "Suit yourself," he said before tearing hungrily into the snake.

In no time Caligo had caught a trout and a tiny salmon, both easy kills, and she trotted back to the cave with jaws watering at the scent of fish. As soon as she stretched herself out on the ground, she devoured her own prey, satisfied that she'd caught it herself.

By the time that the dragons had finished, Cicero was prowling around the meadow searching for something. Caligo cocked her head at his curious behavior. She turned to Fel, asking, "Why do you think he acts so strange?"

Fel grunted, still gnawing on the strong spine of the snake. "No idea. Maybe his pa dropped him as a cub?"

Caligo shook her head, disbelieving. "It doesn't seem like he's dumb or anything like he was hurt. It's weird."

The green dragon muttered his agreement. Cicero tumbled close to his meal, throwing up dust in his face, then raced the opposite way. Fel snarled and eyed him cautiously before giving up on his meal and burying the bones. Caligo held in a snort of laughter. They had watched him play for a few more moments when Caligo remembered something.

"Fel? If Cicero's here, then where are the thieves?"

Fel looked startled. "I hadn't thought of that. Do you think they're close by?"

Uneasiness set in her heart. "I hope not," she replied. Hopeful, she added, "Maybe he escaped and they left him alone?" Fel nodded nervously.

"Beware of the poison that rests in your heart, boulder-head!" Cicero crowed, bounding up and pawing at Fel's horns. Caligo was distracted yet again by the jaguar. Despite his strange, sometimes ominous words, his green eyes were round with laughter, and there was a sparkle in them that reminded Caligo of a hatchling at play. _It must be terrible,_ Caligo thought, _to be plagued with such thoughts all of his life. Did he ever get the chance to grow up as a normal jaguar, to enjoy life as a carefree young cub?_

Fel nudged her, breaking her line of thoughts. His eyes were troubled, and he kept glancing back at the strange jaguar as if he wanted to ask him a thousand questions. "We should leave," he whispered to her. His voice carried a reluctant tone. "This cat's mad. We shouldn't even be here."

Caligo gave him a strange look. _This was your idea, wasn't it? _She opened her mouth to agree anyway when Cicero leaped between them, claws outstretched. She reared back in surprise before his claws could catch her scales, but Fel collapsed under the lighter weight of the jaguar, a gasp in his throat. Cicero wrapped his paws around her friend's neck, but his eyes were staring up; Caligo noticed a large, vibrant butterfly drift shakily in the breeze. That must've been his target, but it had jerked out of reach just as he had arced through the air. He leaped off of Fel and stretched his long arms up, clapping together on the air it had been moments before. He landed with a thump; his green gaze lowered in disappointment and sadness.

"What is precious will be lost," he murmured, almost too quiet for Caligo to hear. Before she could ask what he meant, his eyes lit up and he crouched, waggling his haunches, before soaring high above her head. When he landed, his claws were lined with a dusty blue and his face relaxed in pride; he had snagged the butterfly. His prey fell limp as he stood and studied it. "But it will return with great triumph to others, a sight to behold, beautiful and sad at the same time," he finished. A hypnotic look overcame his kitten facade; it disappeared moments later as another butterfly brushed past his nose. He dropped the prisoner in his paws and chased after his new prey as if nothing had happened.

Caligo shook her head in confusion. Cicero did seem a bit mad―_then again, who wouldn't be in his position?_ she added. She watched a while longer as the happy jaguar leapt and purred, the afternoon sun making his golden, spotted pelt shimmer mesmerizingly.

"What do we have here, Aela?"

Icy claws of fear stabbed at Caligo's heart.

"Looks like a couple of strays, Benni. And certainly _unusual_ ones at that."

She strained to turn around, only to freeze as strange paws trailed down her side; she let out a strained yelp as claws caught her scales. She turned her panicked gaze to Fel, who seemed equally as frightened and shocked. _It's too late now._

"And they seem to have met our little friend, here."

Cicero glanced up at the jaguars, eyes still light and playful. "New friends," he declared. A new butterfly struggled at his claws, frail wings beating furiously.

"They certainly are." Caligo jumped as a silky voice purred into her ear. "A welcome change from the blathering brat, I'd say."

The black muzzle, short and ragged, slowly shifted until it was nose-to-nose with Caligo. The darkest amber eyes she'd ever seen peered at her with a veiled curiosity. Sharp white teeth gleamed underneath a smirk. She couldn't move, entranced with his trapping gaze glinting with dangerous thoughts. He crouched in a low squat, obviously much taller than her, and drew a long talon lightly down her scales. "Look at this one, crew. Haven't seen a black lizard in a long time."

Another joined him, the second one to speak from earlier. "Sure is a pretty one, North," she chuckled. Her eyes glazed in calculation. "Maybe someone's looking for her. She'd fetch a handsome price, no matter the looker―and whether they knew her first or not."

The first jaguar to speak, Benni, threw Fel to the ground as he held his golden horns. He inspected her friend closely as he writhed below. "This one's strong, too. Good muscles. Maybe a farmer needs a new worker?"

North's eyes glittered as his gaze shifted between the dragons. "Have they discovered their elements, you think?"

Aela snorted. "They're just at that age, but they could be duds; don't think I've seen a black dragon's ability in years."

Caligo's heart raced. They knew more of her kind? What powers she could have? She only just held herself back from bursting out the questions forming in her mind. The pain to speak was almost physical.

Cicero, who'd been blissfully unaware of the exchange, crept up with concern darkening his young features. "Don't hurt new friends."

North looked with mild irritation at the cub. "Where's Hamus? He's supposed to be babysitting, isn't he?"

Aela shrugged. "He went to scout ahead. He should be back soon."

"Then it's your turn until he's back." North seemed to revel in the protests of his companion, then he silenced her with a snarl. "Benni has to take care of the green dragon, since he's the strongest, and I'm watching over our black one here. You get babysitting duty because I say so."

Aela narrowed her eyes, barely holding back a growl. As she turned back to Cicero, Caligo could just catch her mutter, "Don't want the stupid kid… It's because I'm the female, isn't it?" If North had heard her, he gave no indication of it.

Benni had dragged Fel back and the two dragons looked helplessly at each other. They had found trouble yet again, and Caligo could see no way out; even with one captor per prisoner, there was no way Cicero could fight, and she and Fel had no training. They barely even knew how to fly! How would Nix find them now?

North strode in front of them and clasped his front paws behind his back, a smile curling his lips. "You're going to regret stumbling into our field, kids."

Caligo winced. _We already have. How else will we regret it?_ she thought, fearful of their upcoming doom. And no straining to hear the wingbeats of her rescuers proved useful, for none came. _Are we all alone now?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **To me, this ending sucks because I kept trying out different endings and none seemed to fit right without me extending it another couple of pages, which I didn't want to do. Ack, writing can be so difficult if this works out, next chapter will have a surprise or two in it, so that'll make up for this sorry chapter end hopefully. Have a great day!

LOL,

-WOLFIE


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